The new knowledge

management
The human factor activates the collective intelligence
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Contents

Introduction2

The value and limits of technology 4

The human factor 7

Action points for business leaders 9

Endnotes10
The new knowledge management

Introduction
The latest edition of Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends study ranks ‘knowl-
edge management’ as one of the top three issues influencing company success,
yet only 9 per cent of surveyed organisations feel ready to address it.1

T
HE TRANSFER OF knowledge has become
even more essential as COVID-19 has scat-
tered staff among homes and different work
sites. But traditional views of how to handle knowl-
edge no longer apply. Some business leaders have
not yet recognised that. They have a false sense of
security, believing that technology will enable
knowledge to be transferred, with platforms and
tools helping dispersed teams stay connected.
But Deloitte’s recent research has shown that
technology alone will not be enough to harvest the
value of knowledge management. And workforces
have made it clear that they expect more from
their employers. For future success, organisa-
tions should shift their focus from knowledge
capture to knowledge creation and transfer, and
champion a knowledge-sharing culture as vehe-
mently as they champion tools and platforms.

2
 The human factor activates the collective intelligence

According to the results of the latest Deloitte
European Workforce Survey, companies that
prioritise knowledge transfer are perceived by
employees as more competitive with respect to
revenue growth and client satisfaction. Workers
see them as more innovative and more attractive
for employment. The time is ripe for business
2
leaders to create a fluid flow of knowledge in
their organisations.
To help employees share knowledge and infor-
mation in fluid ways, the implementation of
technology alone is not enough. Strategies are
needed to enable and motivate employees in this
exchange. More than 60 per cent of our respon-
dents said that post-pandemic the “capacity to
adapt” will be the most important skill needed to
thrive in the labour market, with “teamwork and
collaboration” coming second (43 per cent).

They should consider the following questions.
How can their employees gain knowledge
more rapidly? How can they be quicker
to build new capabilities for increasingly
complex problems? And how can the organ-
isation’s collective intelligence be used?
These numbers reinforce the need for organ-
isations and teams to rethink the way they
share data and make knowledge available.
In some cases, this calls for a new working
environment that will supercharge the value
of knowledge and turn it into a key enabler.

Connecting the workforce

with the power of knowledge
In Deloitte’s introductory article to the According to the results
of our European Workforce
European Workforce Survey, we described
how the post-COVID-19 workplace will retain
the hybrid on-site and remote quality we are
seeing now. We forecast that the future of
Survey, companies that
work will require new ways of collaborating prioritise knowledge
and knowledge sharing,3 a view echoed by the
68 per cent of European survey respondents
transfer are perceived
who see facilitating knowledge transfer as by employees as more
a major priority in their organisations.
competitive with respect
A similar view was voiced by business leaders
in our Global Human Capital Trends study: 75
to revenue growth
per cent of surveyed organisations said that and client satisfaction.
creating and preserving knowledge across
evolving workforces is important to their
success over the next 12 to 18 months.4

3
The new knowledge management

The value and limits

of technology
Artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing and knowledge graphs –
with the new era of these intelligent technologies, knowledge management is
expected to make a quantum leap. After many years of the topic being ignored
or deprioritised, there is now a widespread belief that modern technologies will
automatically enable knowledge management, overcoming previous obstacles.
But this is not the case.

T
WENTY-NINE PER CENT of our survey FIGURE 1

respondents claimed it is difficult, or nearly Workers’ ease in obtaining relevant

impossible, to extract the knowledge needed for information from colleagues vs
daily work from repositories – 50 percent higher than repositories
the 19 per cent who consider it difficult or impossible
Relatively difficult Nearly impossible
to retrieve information from colleagues (figure 1).
3% 6%
So why are repository systems at such a disadvan-
tage when it comes to sharing knowledge? The
easy answer is that people must enter content
into these systems in the first place. That ‘con-
tent-in’ factor is crucial not only for the ease in 23%
finding content, but also for its quality. Survey
respondents who found it difficult to obtain
information from repositories were also more
16%
likely to rate the value of the obtained information
as below average. On the contrary, 71 per cent
who considered it easy to access the information
also perceived its value as being above average
(figure 2). If searching is difficult and the results
are not highly valued, workers lose trust in the
knowledge systems. This, in turn, makes them
From colleagues From repositories
less willing to share personal knowledge in those
systems, which reduces the quality of the content. Source: Deloitte European Workforce Survey, 2020.
Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

Survey respondents who found it difficult to obtain

information from repositories were also more likely
to rate the value of the obtained information as
below average.

4
 The human factor activates the collective intelligence

FIGURE 2

The perceived value of information is higher where information is easy to access

Share of respondents considering the obtained information as above or below average,
by perceived difficulty to obtain information from repositories.

Below average Average Above average

19% 22% 43% 71%

Perceived value of information

38% 50%

31%

43%

28% 26% 13%

16%

Nearly Relatively Relatively Very

impossible difficult easy easy
Difficulty of obtaining information from repositories

Source: Deloitte European Workforce Survey, 2020.

Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

Fostering a knowledge-
transfer culture Our survey showed that the share of workers
who considered it easy or very easy to obtain
What can organisations do to generate trust in their information from colleagues is 23 percentage
knowledge systems and get the best out of them? points higher among those who say they work
The answer lies in shifting the company culture in a company where enabling knowledge
to place greater focus on knowledge transfer. transfer is a major priority (figure 3).

FIGURE 3

Obtaining knowledge from repositories is significantly easier when

the organisation is knowledge-focused
Share of respondents considering it easy/very easy to obtain information from colleagues or
repositories, by perceived prioritisation of knowledge transfer within the organisation

Enabling knowledge transfer is a major priority Knowledge transfer is not a major priority

Share of respondents considering it easy/very easy

to obtain information from colleagues
88%
65%

Share of respondents considering it easy/very easy

to obtain information from repositories
80%
51%

Source: Deloitte European Workforce Survey, 2020.

Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

5
The new knowledge management
The difference is even more prominent in the views
workers shared about obtaining information from
repositories: Of those working for companies that
prioritise knowledge transfer, 80 per cent found it
easy or very easy to access repository information;
by contrast, among workers whose companies
do not prioritise knowledge transfer, only 51 per
cent found repository searching easy. That is a 29
percentage point gap. Thus, the investment in a
complex knowledge system can be highly worth-
while, but only if the right culture is in place.
To nudge an organisation’s culture in the right
direction, business leaders should adopt a holistic
knowledge-management approach with a strong
leadership message: Knowledge sharing is a high
priority. That message should be supported by
clear expectations for what should be shared,
by whom and how. This kind of transparent
approach will facilitate structured knowledge
transfer, with each employee understanding
what is expected of them and where to find in-
formation. An established sharing culture of this
kind elicits trust in the systems and better use.
It is not the new generation of knowledge repositories
that guarantees the success of knowledge transfer;
rather, it is the human factor.
6
Repositories: One size
does not fit all
An important consideration when implementing
knowledge repositories is the limitations of
trying to apply a one-tool solution. The European
Workforce Survey proved that the workforce is not
homogeneous. Varying needs and desires demand
a set of interacting knowledge-sharing tools and
options that will cater to all employees. An offering
of this kind will illustrate a commitment to driving
knowledge sharing – and putting people first.
A company’s knowledge repositories can only
be as good as the knowledge-sharing culture
and underlying processes. People have to trust
the repositories, actively support their use and
find ways of sharing so that the repositories can
support their needs. In this setting, modern
language and AI-driven tools can be used to
their full potential to give companies access to
knowledge analytics and value creation instead
of only building on knowledge capture.
 The human factor activates the collective intelligence

The human factor

Undeniably, a technological infrastructure of tools and platforms helps manage
knowledge. But in the long run, that infrastructure and a knowledge-transfer
culture can only be sustained if individual employees are part of the equation.
In the context of generating, sharing and managing knowledge, organisations
cannot underestimate the human factor.

I
F WORKERS ARE unable or unwilling to foster
knowledge management, even AI-enabled knowl-
edge platforms and tools are liable to fail to create
and preserve knowledge. How can the workforce be
motivated to share knowledge? The answer seems
obvious: Incentivise them to behave accordingly,
and build their skills to use platforms and tools.
Deloitte’s research indicates that organisations
are struggling to achieve that. In Deloitte’s 2020
edition of the Global Human Capital Trends
study, 37 per cent of respondents reported that
a common barrier to effective knowledge man-
agement is the lack of incentives. Another 35 per
cent cited a frequent shift in roles and positions,
which discouraged effective knowledge sharing.5
The value of motivation
The good news is that a majority of the workforce
claim to share knowledge with their colleagues
– only 6 per cent of survey respondents said
they rarely share their knowledge. But sharing
knowledge is not sufficient. The information
must be helpful to the receiver; otherwise, it is
a waste of resources at both ends. Our survey
revealed that every fourth employee believes
information received is not of value (25 per
cent) or is not accurate (28 per cent).

FIGURE 4

Workers’ perceptions of accuracy and value of information received

from repositories and colleagues
Share of respondents rating accuracy and value of information obtained as below average (i.e. “fair” or “poor”).

Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

Poor Poor
8% 4% 9% 4%

Fair Fair
24% 21%
28% rate the 25% rate the
accuracy of value of
34% the received 34% the received
information as information as
below average below average

32%
30%

Source: Deloitte European Workforce Survey, 2020.

Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

7
The new knowledge management
Half of all survey respondents identified the
key driver of knowledge sharing as a feeling of
contributing to team success. Another 42 per
cent said they are motivated by the prospect of
doing the right thing. These rather ‘altruistic
drivers’ that address a non-personal benefit are
more widespread among older workers (50-plus
years old). Only a third of the 30-or-younger
age group stated that sharing knowledge is the
right thing to do; instead they see it as beneficial
to their career – a clearly personal motive.
Thus, to incentivise workers to actively con-
tribute and sustain a culture of knowledge,
organisations should strive to understand the
diverse needs of their workforces. Segmenting
employees by age, identifying their drivers
and providing positive reinforcement for the
various cohorts is definitely a way forward.
Rethinking enablement
The second aspect that defines the human factor
is employees’ ability to manage knowledge. The
World Economic Forum stated that technological
change has created a “burning platform for the
development of innovative large-scale upskilling,
reskilling and redeployment initiatives.” Taking
6
this one step further, we suggest that skills in the
field of knowledge management be pushed beyond
operating a defined system that requires inputs and
outputs. Instead, a deeper understanding of the
context and value of knowledge needs to be spread
across all skills, enabling employees to embed
knowledge into all aspects of their working life.
It is crucial that employees differentiate valuable
knowledge from general information and that they are
able to see their own knowledge in a broader context.
8
In a world where digital natives – a post-genera-
tional workforce, from millennials to perennials7
– define day-to-day business, the handling of tools
is not the final problem to overcome but the first.
The true challenge when it comes to knowledge
management will be to filter and break down the
mass of information that companies produce.
With big data and the constant production of
facts, concepts and material, it is crucial that
employees differentiate valuable knowledge
from general information. This is the prereq-
uisite if the knowledge management system is
to be fed with meaningful information.
An organisation that enables its workforce to
navigate the constant, overwhelming output of
data will succeed with knowledge management.
To master this challenge, individual employees
must be able to address two questions: 1) What
differentiates knowledge from mere information
or daily experiences? 2) How can the knowledge
that I have be of value to my colleagues?
Both questions can be answered only if the
individual has a profound understanding of the
organisation as an environment and is able to
see their own knowledge in a broader context.
Organisations that enable workers to create
this understanding will be on a path that leads
successfully to strong knowledge management.
 The human factor activates the collective intelligence

Action points for

business leaders
To create the best chance of achieving a successful new knowledge-transfer
culture, three action points are appropriate:

1 Create the mindset

Incorporate all employees’ sharing preferences – which can vary by seniority, age or experi-
ence – but have one consistent message. Knowledge sharing must become a desire, rather
than an obligation. This happens by providing a transparent and innovative environment,
enabling employees to feel safe and develop a knowledge-sharing mindset in which they
recognise the value in their own expertise, and its benefit to the company, and are able to
learn continuously through the process of knowledge sharing.

2 Embrace the new knowledge management

Knowledge management has left the cornerstones of the past two decades behind. It is no
longer about knowledge capture and the perfect file structure; it is not even about manage-
ment any longer. Knowledge today is about creating additional value, and it is the backbone of
the remote and hybrid work models that will define the 2020s. Sharing, transferring and
adding knowledge will be part of the daily life of each employee. Making knowledge transfer a
priority will improve an organisation’s knowledge flow, and the enhanced value of information
will justify investments in knowledge-management repository systems.

3 Use smart technologies smartly

Next-generation tools offer new features to generate additional insights from content. Natural
language processing, graph technologies and AI are enabling new interactions with company
knowledge. The content-in process will get easier and the ‘content-out’ possibilities are
manifold: content connections, expertise clusters, skill movement, trending topics, on-de-
mand retrieval and automated tagging are just some add-ons to ‘normal’ knowledge tools.
Employees’ trust in these knowledge repositories can be built by employers clearly defining
expectations, purpose, knowledge roles and rewards. With smart deployment of smart tools,
company knowledge can create context in a connected world.8 Consider these tools not the
solution but enablers for a new knowledge culture.

9
The new knowledge management

Endnotes

1. Erica Volini et al., 2021 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends: The social enterprise in a world disrupted,
Deloitte Insights, 2020.

2. As the survey shows: 53% of workers who report their company prioritises knowledge transfer perceive their
organisation as more innovative, compared to 28% who work for non-knowledge-focused companies; and 54%
of workers who report their company prioritises knowledge transfer perceive their organisation as a more
attractive employer, compared to 29% who work for non-knowledge-focused companies.

3. Will Gosling, Dr Michela Coppola and Kate McCarthy, May the workforce be with you: The voice of the European
workforce 2020, Deloitte Insights, 2020.

4. Erica Volini et al., 2021 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends, Deloitte Insights, 2020.

5. Ibid.

6. World Economic Forum, “Preparing for the future of work”, accessed November 19, 2020.

7. Erica Volini et al., 2021 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends, Deloitte Insights, 2020.

8. Erica Volini et al., 2020 Global Human Capital Trends: The social enterprise at work, Deloitte Insights, 2020.

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 The human factor activates the collective intelligence

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dr Michela Coppola of the Deloitte EMEA Research Centre for her
contributions to this article.

About the authors

Stefan Weiss | steweiss@deloitte.de

Stefan is a director in the consulting division and has been advising customers for more than 20 years
on all questions related to personnel development, operational and digital training, and executive devel-
opment in the context of the future of work. As head of ‘Workforce Strategies and Solutions’, he guides
Deloitte clients on all workforce matters resulting from technological or demographic changes or new
business models. One focus of his work is the development and implementation of scalable learning
programmes for managers and employees to develop digital skills and future leadership competencies.
With the help of design thinking, he develops learning architectures in a co-creation process with the
customer, which integrates, personalises and enables learning continuously. Stefan is an international
speaker at conferences and a trainer for various business schools.

Sandy Becker | sbecker@deloitte.de

Sandy is a senior manager and the German Knowledge leader. She coordinates all cross-functional
knowledge activities and ensures implementation of local and global knowledge tools and methods. In
addition to the Knowledge leader role, Sandy has more than nine years of consulting experience as a
manager for strategy, sales, marketing and knowledge management projects with major OEMs and
tier 1 suppliers of the automotive industry in Germany. Prior to returning to Deloitte after a nine-year
break, she worked as a marketing and campaign manager in the retail and tourism industry. Sandy is
currently developing an associative and graph-based Knowledge tool to improve the search experience
and to develop smart knowledge analytics.

Faris Behme | fbehme@deloitte.de

Faris is a senior consultant in the Strategic Change & Organisation Transformation team, a service line
of Deloitte’s Human Capital practice. With more than four years of experience in the professional ser-
vices industry, Faris has built a sound expertise for change management, driving the people site of
strategic and cultural transformations. With a strong background in Design Thinking, his thinking is cus-
tomer-centric, always striving to find the best solution for the client. Faris truly believes that effective
management of knowledge has to be part of every problem-solving process.

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The new knowledge management

Contact us
Our insights can help you take advantage of change. If you’re looking for fresh ideas to address your
challenges, we should talk.

Country contacts

Stefan Weiss
Talent Group Leader, Workforce Strategies and Solutions, Deloitte Germany
+49 40 320804882 | steweiss@deloitte.de

Drew Keith
Partner, Human Capital Leader, Deloitte DCM
+39 283326840 | dkeith@deloitte.it

John Guziak
Partner, Human Capital Leader, Deloitte Poland
+48 22 511 0736 | jguziak@deloittece.com

Will Gosling
Partner, UK Human Capital Consulting Leader, Deloitte MCS Limited
+44 20 7007 8132 | wgosling@deloitte.co.uk

Philippe Burger
Partner, Human Capital Leader, Deloitte France
+33 1 40 88 24 60 | capitalhumain@deloitte.fr

Joan Pere Salom

Partner, Human Capital Leader, Deloitte Spain
+34 932533632 | josalom@deloitte.es

Nuno Carvalho
Partner, Portfolio Human Capital, Deloitte Portugal
+351 210 422 500 | ncarvalho@deloitte.pt

Primary contact
Stefan Weiss
Talent Group Leader, Workforce Strategies and Solutions, Deloitte Germany
+49 40 320804882 | steweiss@deloitte.de

12
 The human factor activates the collective intelligence

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